Product Reviews

Harpo's Detroit Dec 11th 1980

Ah, Captain Beefheart. Hate him or hate him, he certainly cut an interesting figure, with his interesting approach to music. And by interesting, I mean “bypassing it totally”. However, there are people out there with malfunctioning ears who like this sort of thing.

It’s one for the diehards, though, as it’s basically a bootleg. Recorded at Harpo’s, Detroit on December 11, 1980, it sees the “Captain” presenting his aural aneurysms with a band comprising bassist Eric Drew, drummer Robert Williams, and guitarists Richard Snyder, Jeff Tapir-White, and Jeff Morris Teeper. In amongst that there is some mumbling and bellowing, which I assume is the “Captain” “singing”.

The thing I enjoy most about Beefheart fans is their breathtaking condescension towards people who don’t get it. It’s a joy to wind them up and watch them slowly melt down as you explain to them that there is more musical merit in three minutes of ‘You Could Have Been A Lady’ by Hot Chocolate than there is in the entire Beefheart oeuvre. And, Beefheart fan, I do know what oeuvre means, so don’t wave your second class Arts degree at me.

Back on the CD, there are things called ‘Abba Babba’, ‘Dr. Dark’, ‘Sugar And Spikes’ and ‘A Carrot Is As Close As A Rabbit Gets To A Diamond’, soundtracked to the noise of a rutting walrus playing out of tune jazz. Enjoy.